Glimmer of Hope
by rosslynchandbeyond
Summary: Elizabeth Rogers is her father's daughter. She is everything that he is: faithful, kind, and friendly. Unfortunately, she knows nothing of her father and the superhuman abilities that were passed down to her. She feels lost and alone, scared of what she is becoming. Is there even a glimmer of hope for her? (Pairing is OC/OC)
1. Chapter One: An Unexpected Visitor

**Hello!**

**This is going to be my first Avengers fanfic so please do not get angry at me or too upset if I get something wrong. **

**Basically, this "prologue" takes place about two years after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Between this and that, a major war has occurred that seemingly ended Hydra and the other bad stuff involved. (Of course there is still going to be something evil in this story.) Also, the name Kate/ Agent 13 is mentioned and unless you've seen Captain America:The Winter Soldier, you'll have no idea who she is. **

**That's it for now. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter One: An Unexpected Visitor**

**Steve's POV**

_Drip._

_Drip._

The bathroom sink seemed to roar. I stared up at the dark ceiling, listening to cars drive on the wet road outside. It was late. Too late. But it wasn't completely surprising. I would often be stuck like this, unable to close my eyes, too scared of finding out what happened once I drifted off.

It was times like these that my senses were heightened exponentially. The littlest sounds were deafening, the smallest light was blinding... I didn't mind all the time. Sometimes I was able to think about whatever I wanted without the fear of being judged.

_Drip. _

_Drip. _

_Drip._

_Dri-_

The sound of the sink was drowned out by the sound of someone scuffling outside my apartment. They set something down then knocked. Even though I knew that they were there, I still jumped. Who would visit me at this time of night?

I padded out the bedroom to the door. Not wanting to risk being killed, I looked through the peephole and was surprised to see that whoever had been there, left. I opened the door anyway since I didn't want to be rude or anything.

It was a box. That was what was sitting outside my door. A dirty, and quite frankly, ugly-looking brown cardboard box. The flaps were folded over the top so I carefully lifted them. Inside, was a bunch of soft baby blankets, and incased in them was...a baby. It came with a note which was sitting partially folded on the baby's stomach.

I took it gingerly in my hand, opening it, a little scared of what it would say.

_Steve, _

_This is Elizabeth. I wasn't sure exactly how to tell you this, but here goes nothing. She's your daughter. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I was scared. And if you're curious, she was conceived on...that night. I wasn't sure what last name she should have, so I had the nurse at the hospital write Elizabeth Rogers. I hope that's okay. _

_I can't keep her. You know that I was promoted to do some undercover work in Europe. You should keep her. You'll be a great father, Steve. Good luck._

_Kate_

_P.S. She looks like you._

I couldn't breathe. This little girl...she couldn't be...there was no way that... But of course it was completely possible. Kate and I had done what was necessary to make a baby, but that was... Ten months ago.

Before I could think about this anymore, I picked up the baby, Elizabeth, who had just woken up and was cooing softly. Her eyes were open, revealing pale blue eyes, like mine. I could see the makings of caramel hair, also like mine. She had pale skin, again like mine, which made her freckles very obvious. She must have gotten the freckles from Kate.

I had to admit that she was mesmerizing to look at. It was weird for me, I think, to be holding something that was apart of me...my own flesh and blood.

After a few minutes, I realized that I should probably set Elizabeth down so that she could sleep properly. I panicked. I had nothing for her to sleep on. Not a crib anyway. Was it safe for a baby to sleep in a queen-size bed? Usually when I had questions like these, I called Natasha, but I assumed she was still out with Clint. Ever since the end of the war, the two of them had risked a date together for the first time in several years. Ever since, they were getting pretty serious which was a relief to the rest of us.

I decided that Elizabeth's only option was to sleep in the big bed with me. I rushed to the bed room, set her down carefully in the middle of the bed, and started filling in the whole between the wall and mattress. I had heard somewhere that parents were supposed to do this so that the baby wouldn't fall into the hole and die. I also placed pillows along the edges so she wouldn't roll of the bed. Once I was satisfied, I picked her up and again and climbed back into the blankets. I held Elizabeth close to me, taking in every little thing about her. Eventually, I felt myself drifting off into sleep so I set her next to me, making sure she was completely comfortable and fell asleep, staring at this little person that was all mine.

* * *

The next morning, I decided to go to the one person I knew would have an answer to my problem. Not that Elizabeth was a problem. In fact, she was the complete opposite. She was like sunshine. In the few hours that I had known her, she wouldn't smiling and giggling. I doubted even Stark's son could compare.

Tony and Pepper had been married the year before the war ended. A year later, in a hospital room, on the day of the end of the war, Tony's son had been born. He had been the biggest star at S.H.E.I.L.D. for months now. I knew that Elizabeth's arrival would change all that.

I borrowed a child carrier from a woman down the hall from me and slid Elizabeth into the straps. The neighbor helped me snapped her in and helped me flag down a taxi while her husband gave me loads of diapers, milk formulas, and fatherly advice.

"Make sure you spend plenty of time with the tyke." He said, ruffling his own son's head. "I learned from my own Dad, who never gave me a second glance, that time together is important so that the kid doesn't get screwed up."

"You seem pretty fine to me." I replied.

He chuckled, "Yeah, well I have my mother to thank for that. But since it's just you...well be sure to give that girl as much attention as you can."

"Attention...got it." I said, nodding. "Anything else?"

He laughed and said, "Good luck, Captain. You're going to need it."

His wife was able to flag down a taxi at last and get Elizabeth and i settled into it nicely. "Thank you," I said, waving through the open window, "I really appreciate it."

"Of course, dear!" She said, grinning. I loved making people grin. "It's the least I can do."

The taxi pulled away from the curb and headed towards S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters. I was anxious. I wasn't sure what everyone was going to say once they saw me with Elizabeth. I mean, I loved her already, but people were expecting a hero, a man who would defend them from anything, who was innocent and pure. Of course, the last two were not me at all. And I'm not saying that Elizabeth would be the downfall of my reputation, I would never think that. It was just that I hated being teased and I knew that once Stark found out about this, he wouldn't let me live it down.

"Here you are, sir." The taxi driver said a few minutes later. "Do you need help?"

"No thank you." I said, "Thanks for the lift."

"Its my job, sonny." He said, winking. I smiling at him and hauled everything out of the taxi. I waved at the taxi driver as he pulled away, grinning like a mad-man.

I took a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment that people where going to start with the whispers and jibes and remarks. I felt myself heat up with memories of my time in school... I really hated bullies.

II stepped into the insanely well air-conditioned building and looked around. No one had taken notice of us yet, which was good. I started walking faster and faster. As I went, I saw people staring at Elizabeth who was staring at this new place in wonder.

I was almost the Nick Fury's office when I nearly ran into Bruce Banner. Bruce had agreed to be a consultant at S.H.E.I.L.D. in the science of developing new weapons. I was very confused as to why such high-tech weaponry was needed if the threat was gone.

Bruce smiled at me, "Hey, Captain, how are-" Then his eyes drifted to Elizabeth. "Uh...are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said, in half-honestly. "I'm completely fine."

"Really?" He said, smirking, "Then what's with the baby? Are you running a dare-care or something?"

I blushed, "No. Look, I really have to-"

"Oh, of course...I'll just let you go then..." Bruce said, watching me as I swiftly continued to Nick's office.

I entered without waiting for his secretary to announce me or telling me to make an appointment for a later date. Both had happened to me more times than I could count.

"Fury." I said tersely. I had never been on exemplary terms with Nick Fury, nor did I really want to be. I found him to be rude, manipulative, and violent. When I had told him this before, he explained that those qualities only made him "a damn good agent".

Nick turned around in his spinny chair annoyingly slow. "Captain. What brings you to my office today? I thought I told you to run through the mission tactics with Agent Romanov."

I sat Elizabeth's carrier on his desk. "She's why."

Fury glanced inside the carrier then he looked at me in astonishment. "What in the hell is that?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's Elizabeth. My...daughter." I mumbled the last word really quietly, hoping he wouldn't notice. But this is Nick Fury we're talking about so...

"What was that?" He asked, his voice rising.

"It's my daughter. She's...my daughter." I said, getting a little embarrassed.

Nick was quiet. He stared down at Elizabeth, thinking about something. "The mother?"

"Kate...Agent 13."

Nick didn't say anything, instead he called Agent Hill with his earpiece. "Agent Hill?"

"Sir?"

"Send Agent 13 up to my office immediately."

"Yes sir." We stood in silence until she returned, "Sir...Agent 13 left for her undercover mission early this morning."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what her supervisor said. Apparently she's been working at home for the past ten months."

Nick didn't reply. He took the ear piece in his hand and threw it across the room. The sudden noise made Elizabeth burst into tears. I bent down to soothe her.

Nick watched me, "You know you can't keep her."

I straightened my back and frowned, "What?"

"You can't keep her, Captain. It's not safe. You know more than anyone that we still have enemies out there and that they will stop at nothing to get revenge. If they find out about this girl, they will kill her."

I pursed my lips, "I could raise her from home."

"No. They'll find out eventually. I'm sorry, Captain I know that you want to keep her. I know that your conscience is saying that you are responsible for this girl-"

"I am!" I said in a loud voice. He was being ridiculous. Of course I was responsible for her! I helped bring her into this world!

Nick shook his head, "That may be true, but as one of your duties...you should know that her safety is our top priority."

"What about the Stark baby? Why does he get to stay with his parents?"

"That child has a well trained mother who stays with him every hour of the day and a state of the art security system in his skyscraper. You live in an apartment."

I looked at Elizabeth. She was staring at Nick curiosity. I sighed and felt a lump come to my throat. As much as I despised admitted it, I knew that Nick was right. I couldn't live with myself if Elizabeth got hurt. I couldn't imagine it.

"Fine." I said quietly, "What do we have to do?"

Nick paced his office, "We have to find a foster home. It should be out-of-state. That'll make it harder for enemies to find her. It's got to be a small town, one that wouldn't be an obvious choice for a runaway baby."

"So..."

He picked up the earpiece again and called for Agent Hill. "Agent, look up foster homes in the midwestern area. Make it a small town."

"Sir...?"

"Do it!" She did it. It only took her a few minutes for her to type away and find a list of eligible homes.

"Sir, there's a lot to choose from...do you want me to-"

"Pick a state and run it through again."

A few more minutes passed, "In Ohio there's exactly twenty-two homes. Three are for infants and toddlers, and the rest are all ages."

"Run it through for Northern Ohio."

More silence. "There are five in Northeast Ohio, sir. One in Akron, Youngstown, Canton, Madison, and Cleveland."

"Madison. Agent, prepare a helicopter for me and the Captain."

"Yes sir. It'll be ready in ten minutes."

Then the earpiece went silent. "Ohio?" I asked. "What's so special about Ohio?"

"Nothing." Nick said, "Which is exactly why I chose it. Elizabeth will not draw attention if she is raised in Ohio."

I looked out the window for a moment, "Will you promise me that she'll be safe?"

"Yes."

"Comfortable?"

"Yes."

"Happy?"

He took longer to answer this. "Yes." He said, "She will be happy."

* * *

I listened the drone of the helicopter as we flew towards Madison, Ohio. I had never heard of the place, which I suppose was a good thing. Elizabeth was bouncing happily in her carrier, not a care in the world. She had no idea what was going on. Nick was watching her, sitting across from me. Unless I was mistaken, I could have sworn that I saw a faint smile on his face.

"Do you like children?" I asked.

Nick sighed, "I never liked them enough to have any of my own, but yes...I suppose everyone likes children, don't they? It's sort of like second nature."

I shook my head, "I don't think that's true. My father didn't like children."

Nick watched me with a look in his eye that I couldn't quite place, "What are you saying? I hope you aren't implying that I am a softy or anything."

"No, of course not." I said, "Of course not. I was just saying that it's not completely out of your control. I know that you like to have control, after all." There we go. For a second, I thought we were actually bonding. Now things were right back where they were supposed to be.

"Sir, we'll be landing shortly." The pilot called back to us. Nick nodded and stood up, looking outside.

I felt the helicopter land so I stood and picked up the carrier. The door opened. We were in the middle of a park with ripe, green grass. The air was fresh, much better than the air in New York or Washington D.C. Madison was a small town, with tiny shops lining the streets. I could smell the Great Lake from where we were. I smiled, if my daughter was going to be raised any other place than with me, I was glad it was here.

"So where is this foster home?" I asked.

"It's couple blocks down the street. Come on, we need to move." He started down the sidewalk in a hasty stalk. He always walked like that. I followed him slowly.

as I walked, I watched birds flit by and teenagers laughing with their friends. Old couples enjoyed a walk in the park together while middle aged men walked their dogs while getting a work out. To me, Madison seemed like a very nice place to live.

I came up to a tall house that seemed to be at least four stories high. A signed hung in the yard that read: "Miss Paisley's Foster Home for Children". There were flowers growing around the house and tall trees in the yard. The house was beautiful and old, probably from the Victorian Age.

Nick knocked hard on the door. A young, thin woman came to the door and smiled at us.

"Hello...are you-"

"This is Steve Rogers, and Elizabeth. I'm Nick Fury. I was the one who spoke to you on the phone."

The woman nodded, "Well, welcome. I'm Julie Paisley. Would you like to come in?"

"No thank you, we don't have much time." Nick said when I was about to say, "Yes."

Julie nodded again, "Right well...if you're sure. May I?"

She held out her hands for the carrier. I was hesitant. Was a I sure I wanted to do this? To let my daughter be taken care of and raised by a complete stranger? Nick nudged me.

I slowly passed the carrier to her. Elizabeth, giggled at Julie, her blue eyes open wide. "She's precious." Juli said, "What was her name?"

That seemed irresponsible to me. We had just said what her name was. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea...

"It's Elizabeth." Nick said, "Elizabeth Rogers." He looked at me for confirmation on the last name and I nodded. Even if Kate didn't give her a last name, I still would have wanted Elizabeth to have it. She was labelled as my own now.

"Well thank you for stopping by." Julie said.

"We appreciate it." Nick said, "I know this isn't how things normally work but-"

"Oh, nonsense." Julie said, grinning. "I'm perfectly happy with this. And you said someone will be stopping by next week?"

I looked at Nick in confusion. He licked his lips, "I've informed Julie about the situation. We're sending an agent next week to train her in case someone tries to hurt Elizabeth."

I felt my chest swell up. The fact that they even had to do that made me feel sick.

"Well...would you like to say goodbye?" Julie asked me.

I nodded. Nick waved and looked at Elizabeth one ast time before walking down from the porch to the sidewalk. Julie held out the carrier to me. I gently touched Elizabeth's held, feeling the soft hair that was growing. I kissed her forehead nad started to pulled away. But, as i did so, Elizabeth's tiny hand wrapped around my finger, holding on for dear life. I let out a shaky breath and pried her fingers off. "Bye, Elizabeth."

I turned around, not looking back. I couldn't turn around. It was too hard, knowing that I would probably never see Elizabeth...my baby girl...ever again.

**So there you have it: the first part to an epic saga! The next chapter will takes place 16 years later and be in Elizabeth's POV. The rest of the story will be in her POV unless I feel like writing in her love interest's POV sometime. **

**See you next time!**

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	2. Chapter Two: Sixteen Years Later

**Enjoy this chapters, little ones! **

**Chapter Two: Sixteen Years Later**

**Elizabeth's POV**

I believe in happy endings.

Let me rephrase that. I believe in _a _happy ending. I believe that someday, somehow, everything and everyone will be okay. No one will want to kill or hurt anyone else. Everyone will get along. But, I don't think that this day is coming any time soon. I don't think anyone alive will be lucky enough to see this ending. We'll be too busy being dead.

I would only think about this whenever I was getting my face beat in by Cassandra and her clique. Those moments (which happened at least three times a week) were when I wished I would be one of those happy people. I had nothing to be be ungrateful for, of course. I had a nice home, a wonderful caretaker, and plenty of siblings to surround myself with. I guess that was why Cassandra and her thugs beat me up everyday. Their lives were much worse than mine.

Despite this fact, I didn't like them. Even though their lives were horrible, it didn't give them the right to keep this up.

I was woken from my deep thoughts with a sharp kick to my stomach. "Had enough, Lizabeth?" Cassandra slurred. Lizabeth was her nickname for me that I despised. I preferred Elizabeth more than anything.

I grunted as she punched me again. She chuckled and wiped her knuckles clean of my blood. "I'll see you Thursday." She waddled out of the clean alley with her friends who were laughing at my swollen cheek.

Sighing, I picked myself up and managed to limp to the foster home I had been staying at. I say "staying at" but in reality . I had lived there my entire life. Miss Paisley was my mother first and foremost. The ten other kids in the home were my brothers and sisters as far as I was concerned.

I limped to front door, pulled out my house key, and tumbled into the house. Miss Paisley was there in an instant. "They did it again didn't they?"

I nodded, looking at the floor.

"I wish you would let me do something about it." she said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "You can't keep living life like this. One day you're going to get hurt beyond repair."

I didn't answer her statement. Instead, I said, "Could you help me get cleaned up, please? I hate having blood on my face."

Miss Paisley nodded, "Of course, dear. Come in the bathroom."

I followed her into the bathroom and winced as she placed a cool dishcloth on my cuts. "Can we...can we not tell the others about this?" I asked.

"I wasn't planning on it." she said, smiling. "I know how much they look up to you. This would break their little hearts. Maybe you could consider not getting beat up. What is it now? You're getting dragged into that alley four times a week?"

"It's three actually..." I muttered.

"Either way, it's starting to look like you like those bullies." I shook my head. "Do you want to hurt them? Those girls? It would serve them right. But I suppose it comes with the territory. Don't they live in that trailer park?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone." I said, quietly. "I just don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."

Miss Paisley got a small, sentimental smile on her face. "I know a brave man who said that once."

"Who was it?" I asked.

She shook her head, "You wouldn't know him. It was a long time ago...in the 40s." I was about to reply with "try me" but she wiped her face and said, "You should get to work on your homework."

She pushed me out of the room and up the stairs. "Dinner is in an hour."

"I'm having dinner with Sam tonight." I said, shrugging.

She waved me off while I laughed. I went into the bedroom I shared with Anne, a twelve-year-old who had arrived last year. In the short time she had been here, she managed to wrangle more friends than I had ever had in my entire life. She was always scouring the town and hanging out with them while I was left to my own devices.

That reminded me, I had to call Sam. He was my best friend and had been since I had started Kindergarten however many years ago. Same was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Everytime I was beat up, which was a lot, Sam was there to help me through the emotional pain of having fists punching my heart and brain.

"Elizabeth. I've been expecting your call." He said.

I smiled even though he couldn't see me. "Don't answer the phone like that. It's creepy. Anyway, I was a bit preoccupied."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "It happened again? I thought you promised you wouldn't-"

"It's not my fault, Sam!" I said. "Everytime they threaten me, I think I can handle it."

"You should know that you can't! You just aren't built for that kind of stuff."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Sam, I'm fine. It wasn't as bad this time, I promise."

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" he asked, moving on. "Chinese? Indian? Italian?"

"American?" I offered, laughing a bit. I had never been a huge fan of foreign food. I felt like all I needed to live on was hamburgers, pizza, and hotdogs.

"So...burgers, then?" Sam groaned. "Again?"

"Yes, again!" I cried into the phone. "Last month we went two weeks eating Chinese food from that crappy place on the edge of town. Your decision gave me diarrhea!"

"Save the visual for someone else, please!" He said. I could practically see him wincing. "And fine. I'll be over in an hour."

I laughed, "Cool. See you then." We hung up together. I was bubbling with excitement. Every Wednesday, Sam came over and we hung out in my bedroom, eating take-out and watching movies. Needless to say, it was the highlight of my week. I quickly stripped and stepped into the steamy shower and washed the dried blood and bruises. Sam couldn't see me looking like this. He'd freak out.

And no, we have nor will we ever date. He's not gay or anything, but I think of him as a brother and nothing more. I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about me.

Just as I was pulling on a clean shirt, I heard a knock on the window. I sprinted over to it nad flung it open. Sam hates coming in through the front door because he thinks Miss Paisley is shady.

"No one is that nice!" He claimed to me over and over again.

"You got the stuff?" I asked, helping Sam into the room.

He smirked, "Course I do." Then he looked at my face and brushed it gingerly with his cold fingers. "I thought you said it wasn't that bad today?"

I shrugged, "I lied."

"You can't do that." Sam said, frowning. "I'm allowed to be concerned for you."

"Yeah, but not this much." I claimed.

He sighed, "I can't stand it. I always used to stand up for you and now you won't tell me about anything anymore."

"That's because I learned that if I want to get anywhere in life, I"m going to have to try to fight my own battles."

He smirked slightly, "And how's that going for you?"

"It's going perfectly fine, thank you very much." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You're just being a dick about it."

"So what? I'm allowed to."

Ignoring his last comment I said, "What do you want to drink?"

He chuckled and ruffled my head, "The usual, Elizabeth. I would think you would know that by now."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah yeah. Pick out a movie while I'm down there."

I left the room and headed down the stairs to the kitchen where the other kids in the home were gathering for dinner. The boys were all anxiously awaiting their steaming plate of food and the girls were helping Miss Paisley get dinner ready.

As I passed some of the younger kids, I kissed the tops of their heads and ruffled the hairs of kids who were older and would be embarrassed if I kissed them. I made sure that I wouldn't do any such thing when I greeted my siblings. I didn't want to humiliate them or anything.

"Have fun!" Anne said, winking at me. She had been "shipping" Sam and I ever since she arrived at the home. She thought we were meant to be and so whenever we had these hang outs, she would get all suggestive and sleep in the living room in case we wanted the bed room t ourselves.

"Stop being dumb." I called as I grabbed the sodas from the fridge.

"And not too much fun." Miss Paisley said. "You are my little girl after all. I can't have you sleeping with boys."

I started laughing, "Haven't you heard? I'm hanging out with Sam tonight. Not a real boy."

"Hey!" Bethany cried. She's a ten-year old and has a major thing for Sammy. "Sam is a real boy, Elizabeth! He's dreamy like one."

Anne shoved her. "Stop ruining everything. Seriously, get back up there before he leaves you for another woman."

I sighed, "Fine. I'll see y'all tomorrow."

"Bye!" Everyone simultaneously called. Could they get more precious?

When I got back upstairs, I found Sam waiting for me, watching the main menu scenes over and over again. "Really? Again?"

"Yes, again!" He cried. "It's a classic and I won't stop watching it until it stops being a classic."

"It'll never stop being a classic, dipwad. It's the Hunger Games." I said, sitting next to him. "Rue dies."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

"You shut up."

"That was a great comeback, Bethie."

I glared at him. I hated Bethie almost as much as I hated Lizabeth. To express my hatred, I tackled him roughly to the ground. This happened a lot. When ever we had a little argument like this, it ended in a wrestling match. It didn't matter where we were, school, in a restaurant, a store, anywhere. They never got too intense, it was rare that either of us got hurt.

I finally managed to pin him down. Both of us were laughing, loud breathy laughs. "I win." I said, smirking at him.

He was blushing, which wasn't a huge surprise since I'd seen him blush about everything for years. "I guess you do." He stared up at me, taking deep breaths.

I rolled off of him and took the movie out of the player. "We're not watching this."

"Yes." He said staring haughtily at me. "We are." Then he gave me the one face that he knew I would break for. His eyes were open wide and his bottom lip quivered. I hated watching people or making people cry and even though I knew he was faking, he was a really great actor.

"Ugh, fine!" I groaned. "Just this last week, alright? Next week we watch something else."

As soon as I said this, Sam perked up and popped the movie back in. "Hunger Games!" He shouted loudly. I shook my head. You would think a boy of his age wouldn't like old movies like that, but he did.

The opening came onto the screen and Same fell into a hushed awe as the words described what the Hunger Games were. He did this everytime and it was really annoying.

The movie played on and the dinner Sam got for us slowly made its way down our throats. When Rue died, Sam gave a strangled gasp like he hadn't been expecting it.

"You're an idiot." I said.

"Shhh! She's singing to her!" he replied.

The movie ended a little while later, but as soon as the main menu came back up, he pressed play and we watched it again.

When the credits rolled for the second time that night, Same applauded, "Best. Movie. Ever."

"Okay, it's past midnight now. We have school tomorrow. Go home."

"Aw! Come on, one more time!"

"No! Go home!" I threw away our trash and swung the window open. "Go!"

He laughed, "Alright. I'm going. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"I know." I said grinning as he stepped out into the night. "Same time?"

"Of course." He said, kissing my cheek quickly. "It wouldn't be a true day if we showed up to school early."

I grinned, "Naturally. See you tomorrow."

"See you, Bethie."

* * *

Later that night as I was sleeping, my thoughts drifted. Sometimes this would happen. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep for hours at a time. I would close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the town, the creaks the house would make, and the breathing of the other kids.

While I listened to the sounds of night, I felt something heavy tug on my chest. I knew tomorrow I would have to go back to school. I knew I would have to face the teachers and other students. It wasn't like I hated school or anything, but th people there... Long story, short, they bullied me. Almost every one of them. It was mostly Cassandra, but the others there weren't fond of me either. I didn't know why, they just did. Sam hated it almost as much as much as Miss Paisley did. He desperately wanted to teach them all a lesson, but I didn't want him to. I didn't want him to get in trouble.

Those thoughts were weighing on me while I drifted off the sleep, dreading tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that...

It was terrifying, living was. That was why I desperately wanted to live in that happy ending. But I knew that with me, it was more than unlikely, It was impossible. Kids like me don't get happy. They don't get easy or painless lives. That's why I don't hope for me, but I hope for those little kids sleeping only a few rooms away. They can't end up like me. I won't let them. I'll die before they do.

**So there you have it. The second installment of this potentially wonderful fanfic. I'm very excited for all of the upcoming chapters because it's just going to be fun to write and there's going to be so much more action after this. It's just going to be great, I promise.**

**I'll see you again soon!**

**xxx**

**rosslychandbeyond**


	3. Chapter Three: Lowest Point

**I'm back! **

**I figured it was time to update again since not much has happened so far in this story. Don't you worry, plenty of stuff is on the way. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Lowest Point**

_An explosion. A scream of agony as someone dies. Bright flashes of color and light and sounds overwhelmed me. Everything was happening all at once. Around me, men in strange suits fought what looked to be aliens._

_I stumbled as a piece of stone fell from the sky. I was almost crushed by it, but a tall man with red, white, and blue on his suit pulled me out of the way, Be careful, Elizabeth." _

_I nodded even though I had no idea who the man was. For some reason I felt like I was supposed to be there, like I was supposed to join those men. _

_Another explosion went off behind me and I jumped a little. As I did, one of the aliens attacked me. I thought I was going to die immediately, but I felt confident and strong and I quickly punched him and kicked his neck. Then I took down another and another. I had no idea how I was able to do those things and yet, it came so easily to me._

_"Beth!" A voice called. I turned and saw a boy running towards me. His eyes were wide. "Beth we have to run, now!" He took my hand and started running. I went with him, not knowing what else to do. _

_Eventually, after so much running, he pulled me into an abandoned alley. He pulled me in his arms and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, gasping for breath. _

_"What's going on?" I asked._

_He licked his lips, "I'm not sure. Dad said to get out and to bring you with me. He was scared, Beth..." _

_I smiled slightly. "Your dad is never scared. And you listened to him?! I thought you were brave, Danny."_

_He gave me a sad look, "I'm just worried about you, Beth." _

_"Don't be." I replied, cupping his face in my hand. "I can take care of myself."_

_"I know..." He whispered. He kissed my forehead lightly. I hugged him again, taking in his homely scent. "I love you, Beth." _

* * *

I woke from the dream. It was really confusing. I had no idea who that boy was or where we had been. It seemed so real, like it was a foretaste of what was to come. But that couldn't be. No boy would ever love me. At least, not as much as that boy loved "dream-me".

I was disappointed to see that I had only five minutes until my alarm clock went off so I just got out of bed instead of drifting back to sleep. Sam had texted me saying that he would be there in an hour. I always knew to had fifteen minutes to the time he gave me.

"Elizabeth! Wake up!" Miss Paisley said just as my alarm clock went off.

"I'm up!" I shouted back down the stairs, waking Anne.

She growled at me, "Shut up, Elizabeth. I swear to God."

I heard a laugh from downstairs. "It's her way, Anne, dear."

I made a face at Anne and finished getting ready for school. It didn't take long because I never bothered with make up or dressing up very nicely for school. I mean I didn't just go to school in a bra, I had actually clothes. But I didn't wear heels or skirts to school like a lot of the girls there.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, coming down the stairs.

Miss Paisley held up a spatula. "Blueberry pancakes. How many?"

"How about twenty?"

She laughed as she dished five out to me, knowing full well I would finish them all. "Thanks." And so I began eating. LIterally all of Miss Paisley's food is the best. I've never had anything better.

A little over an hour (and four more pancakes) later, I heard the horn of Sam's car. I swung my backpack onto my back, shouted a "Love you!" to the whole house, and slammed the front door behind me.

"Morning!" Sam called from his car. I smiled and slid in next to him. "How are you this fine day?"

"Very good, thanks. Hey! You're actually earlier than I thought. Maybe we'll be on time!"

No such luck. Sam and I ended up getting caught in every red light that we passed and by the time we got to school, first period was almost over.

"See ya!" I called to him, walking in a separate direction to my locker.

"Bye!" He said in a hilariously girly voice.

He was a really strange person.

* * *

I had just entered the cafeteria and was headed towards the table I shared with Sam when suddenly I was no longer walking, I was on the floor. People were laughing all around me. I looked up and saw it was Cassandra and her thugs. While I was looking up at them, Cassandra dumped her lunch and milk on me, drenching me in disgustingness. Cue even more laughter.

I stood up and attempted to run out of there, but I slipped on some of the milk and crashed back to the floor. People laughed again. This time I didn't try to get up, I just sat there, letting all of the words sink in.

"God, she's a freak." I heard a voice say. "She can't even walk."

"What a loser."

"So pathetic."

"Why can't she just move away?"

"Didn't you hear that she's a foster kid?"

"No way!"

"Yeah, her parents dumped her off once they realized how horrible she was."

Another roar of laughter. I couldn't see straight. Lights were flashing all around me and my head was pounding. Suddenly, I felt very sick and proceeded to vomit all over myself. I stabbing pain hit my body. I wasn't sure where it was coming from. It was everywhere. I let out a scream.

The room grew quiet. I guess it takes a scream of agony to actually get people concerned. I curled up in a ball and screamed again. I had never experienced this before. Not this kind of pain.

I felt it from the tips of my toes to my skull where it was the worse. It felt like someone decided to open my head and stab knifes into my brain. Sweat was dripping off me in a probably unhealthy pace. I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder but I jerked away. It felt like needles on me.

I had sudden flashes of a tall man, I couldn't see his face, staring down at me. He held me gently, caressing my cheek. And then I saw his face. His gaze was soft and full of unconditional love. He was saying something to me but I couldn't quite make it out. I reached out, wanting to touch him back, maybe then I could understand him. I could hear the words that he spoke to me so lovingly.

And then it was over. I couldn't feel anything. The man disappeared and I was left in the cafeteria sobbing and sweating on the floor. I uncurled myself from the fetal position and looked around me. Everyone was staring at me. No one said a word. I let out a horrible cry and ran from the room, Sam chasing after me and calling my name.

I didn't look back. I couldn't look back, not when that just happened. I would never be thought of the same way again. Now I really was the freak of the school.

I quickly go my stuff from my locker and left the school, not caring about anything except getting home.

The walk home seemed to last forever. I didn't think I'd actually make it home before I just collapsed. I was just so tired. I needed to get home and just sleep. For a couple of hours, for a day, maybe I should just kill myself.

I stopped in my tracks. Had I really just thought that? I had never considered that. Never. But now...it just seemed like y only option at the moment. It was such a strong feeling, that I ran all the way home, stomped up the stairs and into my bedroom. I threw my stuff across the room and began pacing quickly. Was I actually willing to do this? Did I even have it in me to end my own life? So many people who I knew said I wasn't strong or brave. Maybe they were right. Which gave me all the more reason to do this. No one would need me.

At that moment I knew what I had to do. I wiped the tears from my face and slowly went to Miss Paisley's bathroom. She had been prescribed a medication that helped with her backpain. It was called Codeine. I knew for a fact that more than four pills was too much which was why I had to be sure there was enough to do the job.

With a shaking hand, I grabbed the pills and hurried back to my room. I crawled under the covers and pulled them over my ears, sobbing. It was too much. I was ready. I started to twist the cap of the pill bottle off.

"Don't!" A voice yelled. I sat up quickly, nearly dropping the bottle of pills. There was a boy standing in my room. He was tall and had dark, messy hair. His skin was semi-tanned and his eyes were a piercing sea-green. He was the best looking guy I had seen in a while. There was something familiar about him but I just couldn't put my finger on it. "Just set them down. Set the pills down, Elizabeth."

"How do you know my name?"

He smirked slightly, "We have a mutual friend."

Sam? He was my only friend and I was his only friend as well. And I hated the way he was smirking like that. It made him look really annoying and cocky and bastard-like. This guy was lying. "Who?"

"I'll tell you if you drop th pills and come with me." Was he insane? I wasn't going to just drop everything and go with him. I was 100% sure he was a serial killer.

I gripped the pills tighter. "Why should I listen to you?" I mean really what gave him the right to tell me what to do? He was a stranger.

"Because there are people out there who need you." He said stepping towards me, his hand out-stretched. For some odd reason, I felt an urge to take his hand.

I scoffed, "No one needs me." Tears were still rolling down my face.

"You're wrong." He replied. He came closer to me and placed his hand on mine, gently taking the pills out of my hand. "You can't kill yourself. Please." And then I realized. It was the boy from my dream. Not the man who saved me from the falling stones, but the one who...

My lip trembled and I barely managed out, "Wh-who the hell are you?"

"My name is Daniel Stark, and I'm here to take you home."

**DUN DUN DUN! Sorry I left you guys on a cliffhanger. I don't normally do that with my stories but I thought that was a nice place to end this chapter. Don't you worry your little head, I'll update very soon for you guys. **

**This chapter is dedicated to one of my great friends, Alyssa who is reading this and is also a consultant for this story. She's helping me come up with cute ideas and such. She's pretty freakin' great. We like a lot of the same stuff, especially Avengers and Marvel. just a couple of weekends on a Saturday we saw Captain America:The Winter Soldier and then we went to Steak and Shake and then to Barnes and Noble (cuz we both love reading) and then we saw The Amazing Spiderman 2 in 3D which was pretty freaking awesome too. But yeah she's just awesome and I don't know what my life would be like with out her, love you babe!**

**See you next time!**

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	4. NOT A CHAPTER: AN

**I'm so sorry, this is NOT a chapter. **

**I am on vacation right now and I do not have wifi where I am. There is a library that has wifi but I'll probably not be going there everyday. **

**So, there will not be a new chapter posted until this Sunday afternoon. I will be writing throughout the week, so there should be at least two new chapters ready to be posted by the time I get home. **

**Don't worry, this story is not on hiatus. I'm just in a horribly terrible situation right now: no internet. **

**I'll see you all again on Sunday!**

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


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